Turn the blue handle, Camco, Winterization

Arminius said:
Drain hoses are about 5/8" inner diameter in my recollection from pulling a couple off to get at spark plugs in Spring. This is huge compared to a grain of sand. Hoses were completely clean. You can pull them yourself as part of winterization but this fear seems to be totally groundless. Of greater likelihood might be UFOs or Democrats cutting taxes. Just drain the block with the one point system Mercruiser invented to make it easy. Pull the hoses to inspect for clogging every time you replace plugs as you gotta get a couple out of the way anyway.
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As noted before, this is an incorrect line of thinking. I get it that YOUR drains are clear, but that, in no way, means other engines will be. One experience with one engine doesn't mean it's the same for the tens of thousands of others out there and promoting that can only lead to someone following misinformation and ending up with a huge repair bill.

These lines can, and do, get clogged - I've seen it many, many times. I'm offering guidance based on many years of real life experience... and quite honestly, with a heck of a lot more boats than you are experienced with. I don't mean that in a negative way - just that facts are fact.
 
Arminius said:
Drain hoses are about 5/8" inner diameter in my recollection from pulling a couple off to get at spark plugs in Spring. This is huge compared to a grain of sand. Hoses were completely clean. You can pull them yourself as part of winterization but this fear seems to be totally groundless. Of greater likelihood might be UFOs or Democrats cutting taxes. Just drain the block with the one point system Mercruiser invented to make it easy. Pull the hoses to inspect for clogging every time you replace plugs as you gotta get a couple out of the way anyway.
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I pray you will be lucky enough to not freeze a block using your methods. You have every day people here with decades of hands on experience that truly understand the inside of a combustion engine trying to explain and help you understand the cooling system and risks. You on the other hand are to hard headed to want to understand.

I agree with Juliery-"you can't fix ...."

Bennett
 
Long as you drain it before refilling with eco-antifreeze in a dilution good to 15 below, you should be OK. If your summer use plugs up the Mercruiser engineered, installed and marketed One-point drain system, you could replace the large hose barbs on the bottoms of the exhaust manifolds with drain petcocks. Those that fail to drain could be routed out with wire just like old times. Time to turn the blue handle now though.
The aftermarket valves advertised below are 3/4" NPT which ought to have an inner diameter of 5/8", as big as your finger might be. The design probably has routine flow through it. My hoses were clean but you'd have to write Mercruiser to find out if clogging is a recognized problem. Big hoses!
https://www.amazon.com/Lucasng-MerC...9SJ933N/ref=pd_lpo_1?pd_rd_i=B089SJ933N&psc=1
61-FhP1K8NL._AC_SL1500_.jpg
 
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Arminius said:
Long as you drain it before refilling with eco-antifreeze in a dilution good to 15 below, you should be OK. If your summer use plugs up the Mercruiser engineered, installed and marketed One-point drain system, you could replace the large hose barbs on the bottoms of the exhaust manifolds with drain petcocks. Those that fail to drain could be routed out with wire just like old times. Time to turn the blue handle now though.
The aftermarket valves advertised below are 3/4" NPT which ought to have an inner diameter of 5/8", as big as your finger might be. The design probably has routine flow through it. My hoses were clean but you'd have to write Mercruiser to find out if clogging is a recognized problem. Big hoses!
https://www.amazon.com/Lucasng-MerC...9SJ933N/ref=pd_lpo_1?pd_rd_i=B089SJ933N&psc=1
61-FhP1K8NL._AC_SL1500_.jpg
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Once again you’re missing the point!!
THE DRAINS ON THE BLOCK ARE WHAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT.

How do I post the “Banging my head against the wall” emoji?

Never mind, it’s easier to ignore him.
 
Draw me a picture and send me an e-mail. Your point is there are 3/8" quick release drains on either side of the back of the bottom of the block which are serviced by the one-point system but could be more easily blocked than the big manifold drains. Those would certainly be a bitch to get at as shown in the diagram beneath the "f." If you have a concern, maybe you should close the one point system after a week or so and pour a gallon of pure, real antifreeze in. This exception to the rule of turning the blue handle, doesn't negate it. Better see a pro if you have an old engine or have been operating in the sand.
Untitled-csjpg.jpg
 
Adding anti-freeze to a previously drained block assumes there will be spontaneous mixing with pockets of untreated water rather than stratification and potential damaging freezing. Start it up and the anti-freeze goes out the exhaust.
My plan is to remove the plywood partition under and aft of the bench seat. I should be able to access the hoses from the 3/8" block fittings and blow them out and see if they flow. While I'm at it, I will cut the hoses, block the segments extending to the one-point octopus fitting and lengthen the hoses from the block fittings, terminating with blue plugs under the seat. Adding a large warning on the bottom of the seat, "Remove blue plugs in winter, replace before starting." in English and Spanish. Then I can remove seat cushion, blow out and drain to bilge every year. This would seem to be the shipshape solution. First, maybe I will go by the marina and ask the mechanic if it is a local problem or only prevalent in Florida. Regardless, I will turn the blue handle in the Fall.
"Seeing a pro" always makes me feel better.
 
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Arminius said:
Adding anti-freeze to a previously drained block assumes there will be spontaneous mixing with pockets of untreated water rather than stratification and potential damaging freezing. Start it up and the anti-freeze goes out the exhaust.
My plan is to remove the plywood partition under and aft of the bench seat. I should be able to access the hoses from the 3/8" block fittings and blow them out and see if they flow. While I'm at it, I will cut the hoses, block the segments extending to the one-point octopus fitting and lengthen the hoses from the block fittings, terminating with blue plugs under the seat. Adding a large warning on the bottom of the seat, "Remove blue plugs in winter, replace before starting." in English and Spanish. Then I can remove seat cushion, blow out and drain to bilge every year. This would seem to be the shipshape solution. First, maybe I will go by the marina and ask the mechanic if it is a local problem or only prevalent in Florida. Regardless, I will turn the blue handle in the Fall.
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Read the science - of course they mix!
In an analysis published May 12, 2020 in Physical Review Letters, researchers show that the addition of a thin or low-viscosity fluid (water) into a more viscous fluid (anti-freeze) or the reverse, will cause the two fluids to mix very quickly through a physical process known as "viscous fingering". The thinner liquid, say the researchers, will form "fingers", mixing into the thicker liquid, and those fingers will then form other fingers, and so forth until the two liquids have mixed very uniformly.
You seem to create solutions for non-existent "problems".
 
unless you remove this hose on each side of the block to insure drainage, you will have a cracked block because the block never drained and you only diluted a small amount of af and water
 
An issue does exist as to whether anti-freeze poured on top of water will mix with any trapped water spontaneously. Are the liquids immiscible or miscible. Differing viscosities seems to enhance mixing. That suggests that if you intend to close the blue handle after draining for a week or so, you should pour in a gallon of thick, undiluted, antifreeze. Ethylene seems to be the more effective by volume.
 
Arminius said:
An issue does exist as to whether anti-freeze poured on top of water will mix with any trapped water spontaneously. Are the liquids immiscible or miscible. Differing viscosities seems to enhance mixing. That suggests that if you intend to close the blue handle after draining for a week or so, you should pour in a gallon of thick, undiluted, antifreeze. Ethylene seems to be the more effective by volume.
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You have lost all credibility, making a preposterous argument against research, evidence and fact. We are all fully aware that antifreeze and water are miscible BY DESIGN! And quit using ethylene glycol for winterizing. It's irresponsible.

BTW, a cheap shot for sure but your viscosity is very thick!
 
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My point in posting was to remind everyone with boat engines cooled by raw water that they should turn the blue handle now before they take any further steps to winterize and that they have to fully drain before adding antifreeze. I really appreciate the education as to the two 3/8" drain hoses at the bottom front of the engine which are part of the blue handle, one point system and could be clogged. Apologies to all, After turning the blue handle, I put a level on the trailer frame and rocked it fore and aft with the drain open moving the bubble past the center. Then I closed the blue handle drain and poured a gallon of thick green undiluted anti-freeze in through the temporarily removed big thermostat hose and rocked it a again, ending with the stern low for winter storage (my added AF should now be on top of any water trapped by a hypothetical blockage of the 3/8" hoses and intermingling). Main thing is to remind owners they have a simple and usually reliable winterization system in the blue handle. Whatever they do, they should not pour in antifreeze before draining, as was recommended by Camco or my buddy who now explains that he thought I had fresh water cooling.
 
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Just an FYI... but using the color of the liquid to determine if it's a non-toxic vs a toxic antifreeze is a very poor and unpredictable way to make a decision. You can get ethylene glycol in green, orange, and pink (and probably some other colors) and you can get propylene glycol in pink, purple and green (and probably some other colors).

I've also had bottles of "green" propylene glycol that sat in the sun too long and it bleached as clear as distilled water. Still tested as good as new in terms of antifreeze though.
 
Cheap vodka would freeze proof any hypothetical water pockets, would readily mix with the water, and only give the poodles bad hangovers.
 
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